Pipe-coupling.



J. CLARK.

PIPE GOUPLING. APPLICATION FILED 111111.28, 1909.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 0 l? a/" 6 2L-17 o a :55:5 e* cg 7? a? 175 bzb'fb/'fif L: am afm/W omey s J.`GLARK.. 'PIPE coUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 28.1909. 932,963. Patented Aug. 31, 1909- E555. ff ,l W I 5 2 By WM@ vdo hereby declarethe followingto be` a 'fll,:

UNITED sTATEs PATENT onirica.

JAMES CLARK, or enmarcan, PENNsYLvAm, asisrorron ro s. n. annessa nANUrAcTUmNe conrm, or naanronnLPENNsrLvamA.

rrrncommne.

specification Leners Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

To all mcg/concern:

Be it known that I, vJAMES CLARK, citize of the UnitedStates, residing at Bradford,

in the connty'of McKeanand State of Penn# Sylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements ln-Bipe-Couplings; and I clear, and exact description of the-invention,

- such as will enable ,others skilled in the art to which it appertuins .to make and usethe same.

My inver'ition consists in the novel featnres i heremafter described reference bein Ahad to the accompanyin drawings which'i ustrate the invention an -it is fully disclosed in theV following deseriptionand claims.,v

.'Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents av sectional vview of "a coupling for plain'end ,pipe sections 'having my present invention embodied therein.

-Figs. 2, '3 and 4 are/similar detail views-yy` showingV portions of la coupling in use belt fore my invention and illustrating the *va-Q riations inthe size of-packin ing rings to accomnziodatev mid and clamp'- dle rings of the same internal .diameter but' formed of different thicknesses 4of metal.v Figs 5,16

and 7 are similar views showing the applica-l tion of my inventiony to middle rings of the dilerent thicknesses as those shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Figs. 8, 10 and 12'are sectional views of various forms ot skelp for middler rings which I may employ in carrying my inf v ention into eect, andy Fi s. 9, 11 and 13 are partial sectional views o the l middlerings made from such skelps, respectively., T,Figglll is a sectional view of anoterform of skelp,

`which. I may employ'in the manufacture of middle rings embodying my invention. i

` tachable pi e couplings known in the artas ateach end oft rubber c ed pipe'couplings and designed especial y for the coupling of sections having plain ornnt readed 'endsg Such couplings comprise among theirmemA bers, as shown in Fi .71' forexample, the middle ring. A, which overlaps the meet ing ends'of the pipe sections and is ordinarily provided with a centering stop,7 af to center the ring'over ,the meetingevendsl andA .coupling'sfare of necessity madeA a jimitecan .theribber' askin f .to last in tffinitely.

pipe or casing" packing recesses ing ring and forcing itflnto engagement with l*the end of the-middle ringand the exterior of the adjacent:-pipejfsectlon "which it surrounds, and bolts D'connecting the clamp-y ingV rings' for drawmg them towardeach.v 'other to compresspthe packing rings B, *,B.

" pipe sections ETE* rprsenfifw0-r1m- 211111 to be j connected.l by *y vthe'l coup ing. l L These eat variety.' of sizes to 'tlpipe sections a ,ractional part ofjanfinch.in-diameterfup to sev. eral feet in diameter. yThe' middle rings of Atheoonplin for thevarious sizesof pipe are also'm'n e of v ai'ousthicknesses `of metal,

accordingvtq'the .pressurefthe pi e line Ais to loe ,snbjectedltoj injnse. llt is a so desirable v yto havethe jiange member ofthe clamping i ring Gtvery-closelyover the'flared'end of the middle ring so! as to; completely inclose 'thepackin .fri'n Bandpractlcally hermetical'lyseal it" w len' it is -inthe ground vthus diierent Siae, of# rubber vpacking ring forn and causing it eret emiddlerin scfa -givenjsizel are inadeof different thic {'-v ness of material 'it necessitatesthe manu-r.; f factnreof a 'diiferentfslniped clampinglring, for each thickness .of middle rings, anda eachdilferent'thicknesszof the middleri-ngs.

detaiIthree'sectOHs of vortions of couplings of the character descri ed, all designed for n' Figs. .-2, f 3 .and 4 I 'I have illl'istrated jinseenxby`reference to: the vdotted Ylines l p extendingacross'theffignre thatV the clamp- My invention relates to that/class of de`v lng"ring,C?` in Fig.j3-mnst have its flange atei' internal i diameter than portion@ y the noms@ i lam c inlliaf. 2te fit enlarged to permit the vbolt hole to be moved overthe end oft e inifglle ringA2 'and mustv havent-s pla-te.- member cv correspondingly outward similarly.. lAgain in Fig. 4 it will belnotieed that theeangegc. must be. still`I further'enlar ed to tfoverthe end off the y largedv vtofprovi` 'e ywider faces ,corresponding with the faces a', a2, a3 and alsoto compensate for the enlargement of the flanges of the clamping rings.

It. is obvious that the manufacture of couplings of the same standard size, in a series of sub-sizes to accommodate different thicknesses of middle ring increases enormously the cost of manufacture, as each sub-size requires special dies for its production (Where Wrought metal parts are used) or special patterns Where cast rings are employed, and further, a larger amount of rubber is employed than is strictly necessary to secure a tight joint, and this additional amount ofl rubber is an extremely costly item especially in the large sizes.

According to my invention the external diameter of the flared portion of the middle rings of each standard size is made uniform, no matter what the thickness of the ring wall is, and further the end' faces of the middle rings of eachsize are made of a predetermined Width, no matter what the thickness of the ring Wall is, the predet'ermined Width of face being preferably slightly less than the minimum thickness of Wall, of middle rings of that size. Thus in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I have shown my invention/ applied to couplings having middle rings A4, A5, A ofthe same varying thicknesses respectively as are illustrated'inFigs. 2, 3 and 4 and it will be noted that the outer edge of the flared portion of the middle ring.l

is cutoff more or less as required, as indicated at a, a, az, to produce a substantially cylindrical farce which is therefore vsubstantially parallelto the periphery of the ring, thus enabling any one` of the lniddle rings to be inserted Within the flangeJ member a of a -clamping ring C which is the same size and shape for all thicknesses of thering. It will also be' noted that the end faces a of the'middle rings A4, A5, Av whichextend substantially perpendicular to theaxis of the ring, are of the l.same Width for all thicknesses of ring andv of less width than the thickness of the ring, so that the same rubber packing ring B is used lfor all the thicknesses of the middle ring.` My invention, therefore, effects novel and extremely valuable results in dispensing .with the necessity of a different clamping ring for each sub-size of each standard size of middle rings and secondly in saving a considerable amount of rubber in the packing rings.

I prefer to form the middle rings, as Well as t e clamping rings of Wrought metal, such as Wrought iron orsteel, and the middle rings are preferably formed from a skelp or bar of Wrought metal, of peculiar cross section, which is bent into circular form and Welded, and the end portions of the ring are then usually expanded so that the bending of pthe end portlons outwardly will produce the desired configuration at'each end.

`Thijs in Fig. 8 have shown a section of a skelp 1 which I prefer to use in forming the middle ring. The skelp is a flat bar having preferably a projecting longitudinal bead 2 substantially the center of one face which I term the inner face, and the outer edges 3, 3 inclined or beveled toward the beaded face. The face of the skelp not provided with the bead (the outer face) is also vbeveled as at 4, 4 at each edge. When this skelp is made into a ring, and the ends bent outward, the form shown in section in Fig. 9 (and in Figs.l l, 5, 6 and 7) is produced.

Fig. 10 illustrates a slight modification of theV skelp 1a in which the lateral edges 3a, 3a are perpendicular to the inner or beaded face, .the outer face only being'beveled at 3, 3, and Fig. 11 illustrates a partial section of the ring made therefrom which also embodies my invention.

Fig. 12 illustrates another form of skelp 1' in which the lateral edges 3 are beveled as in Fig.l 8, but the outer face is provided with longer beveled portions 4a. Fig. 13 represents a partial section of a ring made from this skelp which also embodies my invention. In this instance the outer peripheryof the flanged portion of thel middle ring is angular instead'of parallel lWith the outer surface of the ring.

Fig. 14 represents a seetion of a skelp in which avery lon-g lbevel 3b, 3* is provided at the edges of the inner face. This skelp is treated by an upsetting process to expand the ends andl either of the forms of ring shown inv Figs. 9, 11 and 13 may be produced according to the shape of the die employed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters yPatent is 1. In a pipe coupling for` plain end pipe sections, vthe combination with the middle ring having its end portions flared outwardly and provided with end faces disposed atvan angle to the axis of the ring and of less ywidth than the thickness of the ring wall, clamping rings provided with flange members encircling the outer edges of the flared ortions of the middle ring, packing rings ying within the flange members of said clamping rings, between them and the adjacent end of the middle ring and bolts connecting lsaid clamping rings.

' 2. In a pipe conplin for lain end i e sections, .the combinatigon Wifh the middle ring having its end portions flared outwardly and provided with end faces disposed at an angleto the axis of the ring and of less Width than the thickness of the ring wall, the outer peripheral edges of said outwardly flared portions of the middle ring being cylindrical, clamping rings provided with annular flange members encircling the cylindrical surfaces of the outwardly flared portions of the middle ring, packing rings yng Within he said annua Hangs members of the damping finge, and having pm'- ions extending Within the flared portions 0f the adjacent end-of the mdde ng, and faces engaging 'the end faces of fue mide ring and bols conn sting the clamping rmgs.

3. n a pipa cupling for plain end pipe sectOns, the Combination "with the middle ring forme of 'Wrught meta and havng its Wall of Subsaniay lmfarm 'hckuefT said. 'ring being p'avded at each [and with ouftwndy oeuf anmnz portions forming packing recasses Within them and and faces sed subsan'taly perpendiculm to 'the aids of ath@ yinge the Said outwady bent and portions having *iheir outer peripheral portions formed by 1 cylndlcal face substanta'l paallel to he wall of the Ting and said eid faces being si less #:lh Hmm ch thickness of the ring wnl, of packing rmgs auch having :m ndned por'on fo @ngage the packing recess of 'the middle ying and a face subsantnly pependulm 'to the ms of the .ring engage the @11d face 01@ the midde Ting, damping rings; each having im ann'uku nngmnembei fm-nv ing a packing* xacess 'to @wage one of fha packing flugs, 'xe onfwadry bf-mt portons of 'the mdie Ting lying' within H1@ said annular Hang@ membms of he @humping T ngs, and bos comlecng Said Hang@ members In est-mony Whe'feof my sgnatme, in the plfessn of 'mvo Witnesses.,

JAMES CLARK.

Vmsses:

H M. 'Win35 /L E @LME-L 

